Rose hummed to herself as she stirred the bubbling tomato sauce on the stove. She might not always be the best cook, but pasta she could do. Pasta was easy.

These were the best moments. Where she was occupied, but not too busy, or running too fast – those were just reminders of what her old life had been like. And any more still than this… well that was too quiet. Then she couldn't drown out her mind. But like this, when she was humming some song that her Mum liked and thinking about how much chilli was too much for Pete – this was okay. Almost fine. Not quite, but almost. Rose chopped the chilli quickly, smiling at the thought of trying to eat something this hot a few years ago. She couldn't handle spicy food before – probably due to a fairly steady diet of fish and chips. But then eating alien foods certainly expanded your palate, and the Do- Rose hummed a little louder, clearing her mind.

She closed her eyes for half a second, imagining a small, white apartment. She had a system now. Whenever he popped into her mind, which he had a habit of doing, she would imagine that apartment. She didn't have it yet, probably wouldn't for some time, since she didn't want money from Pete, but one day she was going to buy it. It was the opposite of what the Doctor would have expected her to want. No pale pinks or blues, no mess and clutter, no pretty fairy lights like she had hung in her old bedroom, no girly quilt on the bed– and most importantly, nothing to remind her of him or their life together. She wanted clean lines now. Nothing like her room in the Tardis. If they had been separated by choice, not that that would ever have happened, she would have wanted a few keepsakes hanging, maybe a few photos of him, or a trinket from an alien world. They had all gotten left behind of course – back in the world she was supposed to be in. The Doctor's world. But even though she still had the Tardis key, she would never put it up. It was too painful. At first she had held onto it constantly. She could walk holding it, pretending that he was around the corner, that she was going home. But if she was hurting before she started to pretend, it hurt more when her imagination cracked, and it all hit her again. No. Even pretending was too painful. So she ignored it. Ignored him, whispering at the back of her mind, calling her… Because he wasn't calling, not really. It was just a memory. The last words he would ever say to her, still unfinished, were said months and months ago. And it was over. It had all ended on Bad Wolf Bay. He would never see her again. She had to move on.

Rose pictured the apartment. At first she didn't really understand why it had helped, but now she did. It was something the Doctor could never have – would never have. It was something after him, something that could be good that wasn't tied up in memories of running with him, locking their fingers together, staring at his lips and wishing she could- 'apartment,' Rose thought again with conviction. 'White walls, dark blue lounge. Small TV, tiny kitchen…'

Jackie stood outside the kitchen, back against the wall, listening to her daughter hum. She loved this world. Here she had her husband, another baby on the way, the life she'd never been able to reach for Rose; everything she'd ever wanted for them. But this world made her daughter miserable as much as it made Jackie happy. Pete had offered to buy her a house, lord knows he had enough money to, send her overseas for a while, give her a job – but Rose wouldn't take it. She wanted to earn things for herself. Jackie understood that, to an extent, she was even a little proud, but Pete was her father. He was allowed to provide for her, even if she were from a parallel world, and Rose would be smart to take the offer.

Jackie smiled a little as her daughter kept humming. She really did have a lovely voice. She would have told her not to cook, that Pete could have something made for them (there was a reason he employed people), but she knew Rose wanted something to occupy her. She had gone to Torchwood for a while, and they had taken her very willingly, but she only stayed for a few weeks. It was too painful – knowing that she was so close to the wall she had sobbed on, begging for them to take her back to the Doctor. No, she didn't want to be there. Jackie had tried to push her back, told her she couldn't waste her life, but Rose wouldn't go. At first she wouldn't do anything, just sat in her bedroom with the door locked, never letting go of that key.

"It's alright for the Doctor," Jackie has whispered one night to her husband, "he'll go and pick up some new companion, take them out and show off – what the hell is she supposed to do?"

She was angry with the Doctor. Angry at him for breaking her daughter's heart, angry at him for showing her a world she would loose, angry at him for not coming back. But she was still grateful that he had kept his promise to her - that Rose was safe.

"She'll get over him," Pete had said gently, "it'll take some time, but she'll get there. We've just gotta give her some space, Jacks."

But here they were, months later, and Rose still flinched at reminders of him, still refused to remember even the good times. Jackie couldn't decide if her almost denying it ever happened was better or worse than practically throwing herself over the balcony. She sighed a little, and walked away from the kitchen.

After dinner Rose went into one of Pete's media rooms. She was tired, exhausted even, but she couldn't go to bed until she was sure she'd sleep straight away. Any earlier than that and it was too hard to think of anything but the man she had lost.

She flicked through the TV channels a few times, before deciding on an old movie she didn't think she'd seen before. It was a western, not really her taste, but then she had rejected most of her old taste now anyway. Rose lay down, frowning a little. She was sure she hadn't seen this before – it would never have been something she'd picked, and she didn't remember the plot… but she recognised the music, and the leading man's voice was familiar.

Then it hit her. She'd watched it with Mickey. Before she even knew that there was a man called the Doctor. That's why she didn't remember it – they'd kissed through the whole thing. Rose laughed for a second, thinking about how young they'd been. Kissing in his bedroom, hoping his Gran wouldn't come in. She smiled, thinking about how nervous and giggly she had gotten when Mickey had kissed her neck for the first time. She really had loved him, for a while. She still did. Just not in the same way.

Rose's stomach lurched as she remembered why she'd moved on from him so quickly. Suddenly she couldn't picture that apartment. She picked up her mobile, which she'd tossed on the floor, and dialled. She needed a distraction – something to stop the thoughts of the Doctor she knew were coming.

Micked answered the phone. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Hi, Mickey… are you busy?"

"Nah, me and Jake are just hanging out, nothing important."

Rose heard Jake's protest in the background and smiled a little.

"Actually I was meaning to call you… Why'd you ask?" Mickey asked.

She went to say that she just wanted to chat, that she wanted to see how he was, but her throat went tight, like it couldn't stomach the lie. "I-" she said, voice breaking a little.

Mickey's voice sounded worried. "Rose? You okay?"

"I'm sorry," she said, starting to cry, "God I feel so stupid."

She heard a small sigh, and knew that Mickey understood. "Okay, it's okay, I'm coming over."

"No, no you don't have to, I'm fine…"

"We both know that's not true. And you're not winning – I'm coming over and that's that. I'll see you soon, alright?" Mickey hung up.

Rose dropped the phone again, feeling embarrassed. She'd cried in front of Mickey before, and he had always looked after her, but not for weeks now. She thought she'd been convincing people that she was okay, even herself, but he had known straight away. Dropped everything, just like he had when the Doctor first left her here. Rose wiped away some wet mascara, trying to regain her composure. She breathed in slowly, standing up a little straighter. For a moment it worked, but then she was crying again, collapsing on the couch and not able to stop the floods of memories she had built walls around breaking through.

She didn't know how much later it was, or how he had even gotten in, when Rose felt Mickey sit down beside her, and pull her into a hug. He held her, not saying anything, and just let her cry, holding onto him tightly - as if she was scared he'd leave her as well.

Once she thought she'd cried herself dry, Rose looked up at Mickey, who was looking at her with the sort of sympathetic understanding that made him so dependable. Her best friend tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You all right?" he said. She raised her eyebrows at him, and they both laughed.

"Never mind," he muttered in an amused voice.

"I'm sorry," Rose said, still not letting go of him. "I haven't done this in ages."

"Nah, don't worry about it. What are mates for, right?"

She gave him a slightly watery smile. Mickey paused for a moment, as if unsure if he should speak.

"Listen, Rose," he said gently, "you've got to get over him. I know it's hard but-"

"I have been," she said, trying not to let her voice crack, "I don't think about him like I used to. I don't- I don't just sit around thinking about him."

"Yeah but… but that's because you're forcing yourself not to. That's not moving on, that's just bottling it all up. And then this happens."

Rose blinked, not sure how to respond. Sometimes she wished Mickey didn't understand her…

"But… what am I supposed to do?" she said softly, feeling her eyes start to burn again. "How can – how can I- when he just- just left me!" Suddenly she couldn't continue, and Mickey pulled her back close to him again, stroking her head.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "it's okay. I'm still here. I'm not goin' anywhere."

She nodded, burrowing herself into his chest, knowing that he was right. Mickey would never leave her.

Rose fell asleep in Mickey's arm, and eventually he fell asleep too, his head resting against the back of the couch.

When Jackie found them in the morning she couldn't help laughing – they looked just like kids again. Pete couldn't keep himself from being relieved when he saw Rose asleep, as much as he understood her needing to preoccupy herself, he had missed having meals cooked by someone trained. He requested pancakes, and was delighted when he discovered they didn't have any of the burns that Rose's usually suffered. Mickey walked into the kitchen sleepily, mumbling a groggy hello at Pete before piling his own stack of pancakes onto a plate for him and his ex-girlfriend and walking out again. Pete didn't react- he'd gotten used to finding Mickey in his house randomly. It was a little surprising at first, after all, it was only Jackie that had known him since he was little, but he'd grown to like having him around. Really, he was thankful- he loved Rose, but he had no idea how to comfort her.

Rose was stretching awake as Mickey walked back in with pancakes.

"Mmmmm," she moaned gratefully, picking one up as soon as he put them on the table.

"Breakfast!" Mickey said, as if he'd had something to do with it's creation.

"You're a star," she said through chews.

"Yeah well, you can kiss me later," he replied, and Rose smacked him on the arm.

"Ow! Watch it!" Mickey rubbed his arm and Rose rolled her eyes.

Mickey studied her for a moment.

"What?" Rose said, reaching for a second pancake.

"I was gonna tell you last night, but I didn't really get the chance…"

Rose put the pancake back down. "What is it?"

"I got a call a while ago. You know, this whole Cyberman thing left me with a bigger group of contacts than I had before… It was from UNIT."

"UNIT?" Rose said, surprised. "What did they want?"

"You," he said simply.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "You've got to be joking. No way."

"Come on, at least give it a chance. I know Torchwood was… hard… but UNIT are different. They work differently."

She looked at him for a moment. "You're working for them, aren't you?"

Mickey went to deny it, but then rolled his eyes. "Okay, yeah, I am. But they still want you! Nothing to do with me!"

Rose turned away a little, crossing her arms. "I can't, Mickey. I… I can't do that stuff anymore."

Mickey put a hand on her arm. His voice was firm. "Alright, listen to me. I know you think you know what's best, and most of the time you do, but I'm your best mate, so I know when you're wrong. And this time, you're wrong. No matter what happened before – you don't deserve to just sit here. That's not your life. That's not why I love you. As a mate, I mean," he added quickly.

Rose hesitated for a second. "Maybe you're right."

"I am? I mean- of course I am. Rose you're amazing. You were always amazing. Don't… waste it."

"I guess… I do need a job. I need…" She pictured her apartment. She had to pay for it somehow. And she did miss defending something – doing something important. "Alright," Rose said slowly, "Tell them I'll meet 'em. UNIT it is."

Mickey hit her on the arm happily. "She's back then! Rose Tyler - hot alien fighter!"

Rose laughed, going to kick him, but he swerved out of the way, grinning, throwing another pancake at her.

The new UNIT recruit looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help hearing his voice. "Rose Tyler – defender of the Earth." She pushed it aside out of habit, but Rose actually found herself smiling a little at the words. She was doing something, making something of her life, just like he wanted her to do. Somehow that eased her pain a little. But still, she didn't want to dwell on him for too long. Rose looked herself up and down. She looked good. A bit tired, but she always looked that way now.

Mickey had been a bit vague on what she should wear, saying that she wouldn't be in uniform and to just "look nice… but sort of tough." Rose rolled her eyes. Useless. But still, this outfit was working. She'd decided on fitted black pants, a white shirt and a leather jacket. She had also bought some high-heeled black boots to complete the look. Nice, but sort of tough. It fit the bill. And if it was wrong she could blame Mickey. She'd contemplated doing something to her hair, but decided to just leave it hanging straight. Her makeup was plain, professional; just a quick coat of black mascara and nude lip-gloss – none of the rosy cheeks that she'd had with the Doctor. This was slow path Rose. And slow path Rose, she decided, looking herself up and down, was strong.

Almost as soon as she arrived at UNIT headquarters, a tall, old fashioned building surrounded by grassy gardens, Rose was swept into an expensive-looking office. Although the front section of the building was old, it's extension was what could only be described as cutting-edge. It was a funny juxtaposition. The office was in the newer part of the building, although the door was made out of the same dark wood as the older offices seemed to be.

The woman behind the desk turned around in her chair as she walked in, looking Rose up and down before smiling. Her thick, dark hair was swept into a military style bun, which matched her uniform. A thin, oddly blue scar ran down her left cheek, the pale line making her brown skin look darker. She noticed Rose's eyes on her cheek.

"Chyriform acid," she said simply. Rose wasn't quite sure how to respond. The woman smiled at her. "You should see the other guy," she said, deadpan, grey eyes twinkling a little. Rose laughed, surprised at the joke.

The woman motioned for her to sit down, which she did, before holding out hand.

"Major Louise Nyanja," she said as Rose shook her it.

"Rose Tyler."

"Mr. Smith has told us all about you, Ms. Tyler," the major said, looking at her with a slightly calculating smile.

"Well Mickey knows me better than anyone," she said, "so whatever he's told you is true."

"UNIT is by no means inexperienced when it comes to alien life," the major said, "however, we are very interested in those with extra-terrestrial experience outside of our organisation. And that makes you interesting."

Rose nodded, once again unsure of what to say.

The major leant back in her chair a little. "We need someone who can handle… situations."

"But you're all trained aren't you? You're military."

"We are equipped to control combat situations. And most others. But we like to have several perspectives… UNIT believes in the importance of people, Ms. Tyler, not just soldiers."

Rose bit her lip, thinking. "There's no Doctor in this universe," she said, trying to ignore how his name felt on her lips, "I know that. So how do you know I'm any good?"

"When the walls of the universe were torn it wasn't just Torchwood that could jump through. UNIT sent people to the other side. We shared information with our counterparts, made each other stronger. UNIT is, after all, interested in the greater good." The major paused, obviously expecting Rose to be pleased by this statement. Rose just nodded again. The major continued. "One of the names that kept coming up in their files was the Doctor. That alone would have made us intrigued by you, but the fact that you've now also had Torchwood training made me sure you'd by more than able to handle any situation. And here we are."

"Right," Rose said. "Well… that makes sense then."

Nyanja nodded, smiling. "Ms. Tyler," she said, "UNIT may be a military organisation, but we are far more interested in peace than Torchwood ever were. If our information on the Doctor is correct, then that must appeal to you."

"It does," said Rose.

"Well then," the major said, standing up, "Welcome to UNIT – Commander Tyler."

Rose groaned happily as she took another bite of pie. She had to admit, Pete's staff did a far better job at dinner than she could have.

"Wait," said Mickey, "Aren't Commanders above Majors?"

"Not at UNIT," Rose said, cutting more pie, "Anyway, parallel world, remember. Wait, shouldn't you know that?"

"I'm just a consultant," said Mickey, piling peas onto his plate. "I wouldn't have given up things with Jake... The Cybermen left a hell of a mess - I helped make some of it."

Rose smirked at him, and he winked back at her.

"Well I think it's great," said Pete, "UNIT's a good group. Did a hell of a lot more cleaning up than Torchwood did… Anyway, I always thought you'd make a good leader. Oh and leave some for the rest of us, Mickey - I don't actually remember inviting you to dinner..."

"Thanks, Dad," said Rose, smiling at him. She looked over at her Mum, who had been silent since her announcement. "Mum? What do you think?"

"Sounds good, darling," Jackie smiled, not quite looking at her.

Rose frowned as her mother avoided her eyes. "Come on Mum… what are you really thinking?"

Jackie put down her fork and sighed, looking at her daughter. "I just wish you'd done something a little less… dangerous. I finally think you're safe and then you go off and join the… whatever it's called!"

"UNIT. And don't worry Jackie," answered Mickey, who was still busy helping himself to food, "it's not that bad. Besides, she'll have soldiers around her and everything. That's way more protection than she had when she was with-" Mickey stopped talking, looking uncomfortable.

Rose bit the inside of her cheeks. "'S fine," she said, swallowing.

"Honestly Jacks," Pete said, "Mickey's right – UNIT isn't going to let anything happen to her. She's a valuable resource. They'll probably give her a body guard."

"Ooooh," Mickey said, and Rose tried to kick him under the table.

Jackie nodded, starting to come around. "Well what do I know, anyway," she said - if a little reluctantly, "I'm just glad you'll be out of the house."

"Yeah, me too," Rose muttered.

As Rose drifted off to sleep she pictured herself in the office the major had given her. It was slightly smaller than Nyanja's, but it had the same military-style elegance to it – obviously intended for someone important. 'That's me,' Rose thought a little smugly, only mildly chastising her brief arrogance.

The major had talked her through her role briefly. She was to oversee one of the action squads, organise and order in the event of a alien contact, try and negotiate, if possible, but always stick to UNIT's defensive priority – essentially, she was the Doctor. Rose couldn't help smiling at that as she lay in bed, even though thinking of him still stung just as sharply. She was doing what he wanted her to be doing, what he was probably comforting himself at the thought of. It felt odd not to cry at the thought of him. Rose supposed she was all cried out now. It was a relief. Even though her trained reaction was to try and push out the thought of him, she resisted, imagining his pride in her. He would have been proud. Rose couldn't help but glow a little thinking about it.

'I wonder if he's found someone else,' she thought, feeling herself getting sleepier, unable to stop a little bitterness creeping in. He'd said he'd travel on his own now, but she knew he needed someone. Why that someone had been her for a while she still didn't understand, not fully anyway. She turned over, pulling the blankets around her tightly. Did he mention her? He never mentioned Sarah Jane… Rose couldn't stop herself wondering what his companion looked like. Did he hold their hand as well? 'No,' she thought, 'I'm not starting this again. Not when everything's finally looking a little better.' She succeeded for a while, leaving her mind blank, but then she could hear this voice, talking to her replacement. The one who would probably never even know her name.

"I can take you anywhere… It travels in time too! Just me and you exploring the stars," The Doctor grinned.

"Was there anyone else? Anyone who travelled with you before?" the imaginary girl asked, taking his hand in the same way Rose used to.

"No-one irreplaceable," he replied with a shrug, "no-one who isn't forgettable."

The girl held onto his hand tighter. "Tell me she was nothing," she said, closing the distance between them. "Tell me she meant nothing to you."

He took her other hand. "She was nothing," he said, leaning in. The Doctor's face shifted, his body becoming that of the first man Rose had known. "She was just another stupid ape," he said. He ran his hands down the girl's body, looking at her hungrily before pulling her even closer. "Rose Tyler… what a waste of my time. There's so much more here for me now."

The girl leaned into him. "I knew you never loved her," she whispered, fingers running over his leather jacket, and their lips met. He kissed her passionately, biting her lip, their hands racing to take off each other's clothes. They pulled apart. "Never," he said in his thick accent. The girl touched his lips, and his face was suddenly that of the new man again, hair messy in the way Rose liked it, hands holding her firmly as he kissed forcefully down her neck, ripping off the last of her clothes.

"I never wanted to touch her," he growled into her ear, voice low and possessive, "I never wanted to touch her like this."

Rose sat up suddenly, realising she'd been dreaming. She put a hand on her face, which felt hot and damp. She ran into the bathroom, almost throwing up into the sink and she splashed cool water onto her face.

The inhaled slowly, trying to slow down her heartbeat. Rose looked up at her reflection.

"And that's why I don't think about him," she told herself in the mirror. "That's why."

Rose climbed back into bed feeling heavy and exhausted. 'So much for moving on,' she thought, almost resentfully, as she pulled out some sleeping pills from the drawer next to her bed. She swallowed them quickly, and spent the rest of the night blissfully dreamless.

Mickey Smith wasn't the same man he used to be.

Jake tossed him a mobile, which he caught easily.

"Cheers."

He had the same smile, the same laugh, and the same dorky sense of humour (especially when he was with Rose). He had the same loyalty, the same talent for codes and computers - but he wasn't the same man. The old Mickey was hesitant in the face of danger, the new Mickey was quick. He was braver, more of a fighter. The new Mickey didn't back down.

He dialled Rose's number.

The new Mickey didn't let people tell him what to do. He did what he knew was right, no matter what the cost.

"Hello?" Rose answered.

The new Mickey did what he wanted, no matter what people thought. He knew what he had to do and he did it. That was the new Mickey.

"Hi Rose - I'm taking you out to dinner."

The restaurant was crowded enough to give it atmosphere, but not enough to make it uncomfortable. A piano played softly as the sound of cutlery and conversation filled in the background. Mickey poured Rose a glass of wine.

"This isn't a date, is it?" she asked him.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "No way. I think we're over that."

Rose laughed. "Definitely over it."

"I just thought it was time you went out… you know, did something a little social."

Rose gave a small, apologetic smile. "You're right. Thank you – for pushing me I mean."

"Like I said the other night – that's what mates are for." Mickey took a slice of bread.

"You'd never have done this before you came here, made me come out for dinner like that - you'd have backed down," Rose said.

"I changed," Mickey said lightly, picking up a menu as their waiter came over. Mickey ordered for both of them, ignoring Rose's amused expression.

"This is fancy," she stage whispered.

"I know," Mickey said, sounding a little excited, "turns out UNIT pays."

Rose suppressed a giggle, but couldn't help putting her hand up for a hi-five, which he took enthusiastically, then smoothed down his shirt and looked around slightly self-consciously. Rose tried not to laugh. He hadn't changed that much.

"I'm going to be able to move out!" she beamed, "I'm actually going to get an apartment!"

"Took you long enough."

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, I'm just kidding… By the way, did you see the football last night?"

"Mickey," Rose said, leaning in, "when have I ever seen the football?"

Pete gave Rose a diary two days after the Doctor left her. She hadn't stopped crying, she hadn't said anything, and certainly hadn't wanted to talk to anyone. He'd felt awkward walking into what had become her room, but his concern for her outweighed that.

She hadn't looked at him when he came in, so he just placed the diary on the bed.

"If you don't wanna talk… it might help to write it down." And then he left the room.

Rose didn't use the diary at first. She kicked it under the bed, angry with Pete for no reason other than the fact that he was here to be angry at and the Doctor wasn't. But when she got back from dinner with Mickey, a little tipsy from red wine and full of expensive food he'd insisted on paying for, she reached down under the bed and pulled it out.

It was pretty, the diary. Or maybe her unfamiliar good mood just made it look that way. Pete had tucked a pen into the inside pocket, and Rose smiled at his thoughtfulness. She should have thanked him for this – she would in the morning.

Rose took the lid off the pen and looked at the first page. She didn't know why she suddenly wanted to write, maybe Pete understood her better than she did, but it felt like the right thing to be doing. She paused with the pen just above the paper, not sure how to start. Dear diary? No, that made her feel fourteen. Her stomach did a small flip as she realised how she needed to start writing.

Dear Doctor,

She paused, breathing in.

Today was better. Almost good. Which is sort of a miracle. Mickey's got me this job, at UNIT, where you used to work. I sort of thought he'd lost it when he first told me, especially after Torchwood, but it's different. More… 'Defender of the Earth.' God that sounds rich. It's true though, I mean that's basically the job description. This universe doesn't have a Doctor, so someone has to do it. He took me out to dinner tonight as well, which was unexpected. I really did take him for granted before... It wasn't a date or anything, just to get me out of the house a bit, but it was nice. The amount of wine he gave me might have helped as well. Last night was awful – I felt so totally thick for thinking about you. And then I dreamed about you and felt even thicker. So there you go. I thought when I was going to sleep that today was going to be just as bad, but like I said – it was almost good. I don't think it's ever really going to be properly good. I'm never going to love it here, I can't. So almost good is… good enough. There's this major at UNIT, Louise Nyanja, she's got this blue scar on her cheek. She said it was some kind of alien acid… Made me wonder what I was getting into for a second. But then we've faced worse. Mum hates it, that I've started doing it all again. The alien thing. She reckons I'm going to get myself killed. Sometimes I don't think that'd be so bad. But like I said, today's almost good. I don't know what I'd do without Mickey. He keeps saying "that's what mates are for," like it's just nothing, but it's not nothing. But I don't know how to tell him that. I mean how do you say 'cheers for not letting me jump off a cliff' without being melodramatic. You can't! Now I… I sort of get the way you talked to me. Thanking me for little things that didn't need a thank you – that's what I do with Mickey. I thank him for the little things because I can't say the big ones, and just hope he understands. Maybe I got it wrong though. I thought we were… but maybe we weren't. Maybe you really were just thanking me for little things.

That was my dream. That we weren't anything. And you were with someone else. See what I mean about being thick? Trouble is I don't know which part makes me thick – am I stupid for thinking you might have loved me or stupid for thinking you might not have. They both sound wrong now. I used to be so sure.

Please come back. I know you said you can't, and I know that… But I don't know how to remember you without hurting, and I don't want to forget you. And I need to know how you felt.

Anyway.

The wine that Mickey ordered tonight was French. He couldn't pronounce the name – it was kinda cute actually. It's funny to think he spoke it perfectly once.

I don't really know how to end this, so…

Night then, Doctor.

When Rose woke up she was holding her diary. She frowned at it, pushing it off the bed. It seemed silly in reflection, writing to someone she would never see again. Definitely not something to repeat, especially not in a bad mood. That wouldn't be good. She kicked it back under the bed again.

Rose got dressed quickly, picking out a similar outfit to the one she'd worn for her first day, with the same black boots. "Slow path Rose," she breathed, checking her reflection, "still strong."

She walked into UNIT feeling... okay. Not as strong as she would have liked, but she'd take what she got.

Rose had barely put her bag down when Alex, her new assistant, ran into the office.

"Commander," he said, a little out of breath, "I think you should see this."

Thank you (times 1000) for reading - please leave any feedback you have and I hope you liked the first chapter :)